Money
Money in the 21st century sense is not used on 24th century Earth. The exact nature of the Federation economy is difficult to describe; while money has not entirely ceased to exist, it does not play the central role in the lives of Federation and Earth citizens that it once did. It appears that the Federation economy is built on a model that is neither capitalist or socialist, but something akin to communist model, however precise information is very scarce. The descriptions given by various Federation citizens are as follows: * Kirk told Spock about 20th century Earth: "They're still using money. We need to get some." Later on, while Kirk was having dinner with Gillian Taylor and was unable to pay in the restaurant, Gillian asked sarcastically, "Don't tell me they don't use money in the 23rd century," and Kirk told her "Well, we don't." (Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home) * Picard tries to explain to Ralph Offenhouse from the 20th century that there would be no need for his law firm any longer: "A lot has changed in three hundred years. People are no longer obsessed with the accumulation of 'things'. We have eliminated hunger, want, the need for possessions." (TNG: "The Neutral Zone") * When Lily Sloane asked how much the ''Enterprise''-E cost to build, Picard tells her "The economics of the future is somewhat different. You see, money doesn't exist in the 24th century... The acquisition of wealth is no longer the driving force in our lives. We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity." (Star Trek: First Contact) * When Nog suggests that Jake should bid for a baseball card in an auction, Jake says "I'm Human, I don't have any money." Nog replies "It's not my fault that your species decided to abandon currency-based economics in favor of some philosophy of self-enhancement." Jake says "Hey, watch it. There's nothing wrong with our philosophy. We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity." Nog then replies "What does that mean?" Jake responds "It means we don't need money!" (DS9: "In the Cards") * Jake: "(big smile) I sold my first book today. Quark: "Really? How much did you get for it? Jake: "It's just a figure of speech. The Federation News Service is going to publish a book of my stories about life on the station under Dominion rule. But they're not paying me." (DS9: "You Are Cordially Invited...") * Tom Paris says about the significance of Fort Knox: "Well, uh, when the New World Economy took shape in the late 22nd century and money went the way of the dinosaur, Fort Knox was turned into a museum." (VOY: "Dark Frontier") However, money was used on many other alien worlds, and for certain limited purposes in the Federation itself, especially when dealing with non-Federation members. * Kirk stated that Starfleet had a lot invested in both he and Mr. Spock. In fact, Starfleet had 122,200-plus credits invested in Spock by the year end of 2267. (TOS: "Errand of Mercy", "The Apple") * Uhura offers to purchase a tribble for 10 credits. (TOS: "The Trouble with Tribbles") * When interacting with alien cultures, Federation citizens simply inform the aliens that they will be "paying" in Federation credits and the aliens get their true compensation through trade agreements between the two governments. Thus, Federation officers could buy drinks at Quark's Place without owning a single bit of latinum. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) * Beverly Crusher buys a roll of cloth, and has her account on the ''Enterprise''-D billed. (TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint") * The Federation offered a sum of 1,500,000 credits for the Barzan wormhole. (TNG: "The Price") * Quark sold his damaged shuttle Quark's Treasure for scrap, in the Sol system, and was given enough to pay for passage back to Deep Space 9. (DS9: "Little Green Men") * The Bank of Bolias was a major financial institution, and Bolarus IX, a Federation member planet, apparently has a market economy. (DS9: "Starship Down", "Who Mourns for Morn?") * When he first entered Starfleet Academy, Benjamin Sisko beamed back to his home in New Orleans so often that he later claimed to have used up a month's worth of "transporter credits." (DS9: "Explorers") * During the 2020s, the United States used credit chips as a form of currency. (DS9: "Past Tense, Part I") Monetary units *Darsek (Klingon) *Dirak (Karemman) *Credit (United Federation of Planets) *Dollar (Canada) *Dollar (United States of America) *Euro (France) *Pound (United Kingdom) *Isik (various species) *Latinum or Gold-pressed latinum (various species) *Lek (Cardassian) *Lita (Bajoran) *Quatloo (Providers of Triskelion) *Renn (Mari) *Sinic (Orion) References This article uses material from [http://www.geocities.com/willbswift/costchart2.html The Economy of Star Trek] and The Economy of the Federation, and Usenet articles by Timo S. Saloniemi. There are non-canonical references to Federation citizens receiving allotments of Replicator Credits (to provide food and other material needs) and Structure Credits (for housing and storage) in some Trek-derived works. de:Geld Category:Measurements